From time-to-time Léonard would sendDallas and me updates on translationprogress. Following the publication ofthe Gospel of Matthew, the first fruit oftranslation, he wrote, “The Yambettapeople now have access to the Light ofthe World, the Good News, the Savior,Jesus Christ. This Light is the path of life freely given by God.”Léonard vision for translation endured for over 35 years under very difficultcircumstances—a horrific fire that severely burned his wife, Marie, the loss of his son,Tonton, at 10 years of age in a motorcycle addicent, personal illnesses, financial crises,and community strife. His hard work and commitment culminated in the dedication ofYambetta New Testament in November of 2017.

One year later almost to the day, I received word that Léonard had died suddenly. Hisjourney at an end. He had fulfilled one of God’s primary plans for his life as thetranslator of God’s eternal Word for his community.

I have often wondered what God would have done had Léonard said “no” to this callon this life. No one would have blamed him had he’d walked away during times ofhardship and even persecution. Would the Yambetta people have the New TestamentWould God have tapped someone else on the shoulder?

But Léonard said “yes” to God’s call, and God fulfilled His plan for Leonard’s life. As Isit here writing this I am imagining his arrival in Heaven—a reunion with his son, forsure, and people from Yambetta who are there because they heard the Good News ofthe Gospel because they’ve heard and understood the Good News in a language theyunderstand best.

While Léonard died suddenly, it was not a surprise to God when he arrived in hispresence. Quite the opposite. Every day planned for Léonard was written by Godbefore one of them came to be. I believe there was great joy when he arrived, and,then a “well done” from the one who knew Léonard from the foundations of the earth.

Modern technology, partnerships and local community and church ownership has enabled translation to move at a pace never before experienced with no loss of quality of the end product. This issue includes articles about the use of apps, the development of new fonts and even a visual Bible being used for the Deaf that are all making God’s Word easily accessible in new ways. Enjoy personal stories of the ways God has moved in the hearts of individuals through their involvement in the Bible translation movement. Read more here.

]]>https://bobcreson.com/2018/08/29/mission-frontiers-and-bible-translation/feed/0BobThoughts from the fringe…https://bobcreson.com/2018/08/18/thoughts-from-the-fringe/
https://bobcreson.com/2018/08/18/thoughts-from-the-fringe/#respondSat, 18 Aug 2018 14:14:18 +0000http://bobcreson.com/2018/08/18/thoughts-from-the-fringe/Continue reading →]]>Richard Rohr says, “I have come to mistrust almost all righteous indignation and moral outrage. In my experience, it is hardly ever from God. Zealots motives are often filled with ego, self, power, control and self-righteousness. Resurrected people, on the other hand, prayerfully bear witness against injustice and evil but also agree compassionately to hold their own complicity in that same evil. It is not over there, it is here. It is our problem, not theirs. If you don’t do this, strangely enough, it gives you a very false sense of control and superiority because you’ve spotted the evil and, thank God, it’s not me, it’s over there, not here. As long as ‘they’ are the problem and you can keep your focus on changing them, correcting them, expelling them as the contaminating element, then you can sit in a reasonably comfortable and self-satisfying position.”

This is what the Pharisees were doing when Jesus called them hypocrites and white-washed tombs (Matthew 23:27). Jesus said, get rid of the log in your own eye then maybe you can get the sliver out of the eye of someone else. (Matthew 7:5) Only God can hold such an act together within us. The False Self, this small self, is always too fragile and too small. Only the True Self can live the gospel.

Rohr goes on to say, “Maybe our greatest disservice has been that we have given the Law and the gospel to the fragile self that is incapable even of understanding it. We end up condemning people to subterfuge, denial, mental gymnastics and trivialization—by preaching the Law without also offering people that ‘identity transplant’ that we call Good News! This is impossible except for the True Self, ‘hidden with Christ in God’” (Colossians 3:3).

Paul took some of his Letter to the Romans to struggle with this dilemma. “So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.” (Romans‬ ‭7:14-15, 21-25‬ ‭NLT)‬‬

Paul moves on to explain how the Spirit living in us helps us hold these two things in tension admonishing us to, “..let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think…[and] I give you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourself, measuring yourself by the faith God has given you.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:2-3‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

I write all this because of the coincidence of reading Rohr, then a set of Tweets over the past couple of days from Ed Stetzer, with which I resonate.

• “If your theology consistently creates followers who are contentious and argumentative, it is not a gospel-based theology.”

• “If your theology makes you haughty and not humble, it is not a gospel-based theology.”

• “If your theology has caused you to see your fellow Christians as your enemies, it is not a gospel-based theology.”

• “If your theology aggressively argues for right doctrine, but passively ignores bad character, it is not a gospel-based theology.”

• “If your theology gives you license to caricature and misrepresent others in the name of guarding doctrine, it is not a gospel-based theology…”

• “If your theology just makes you angry all the time, it is probably not a gospel-based theology…”

Law without gospel paralyzes and condemns to failure. May we be people of the Word; not just hearers but doers also.

]]>https://bobcreson.com/2018/08/18/thoughts-from-the-fringe/feed/0BobService to Allhttps://bobcreson.com/2018/04/19/service-to-all/
https://bobcreson.com/2018/04/19/service-to-all/#commentsThu, 19 Apr 2018 22:58:25 +0000http://bobcreson.com/?p=1165Continue reading →]]>Wycliffe Bible Translators USA hasn’t changed its vision in over 75 years. Everyone—all men, women and children—have the right to hear the Good News about Jesus Christ in a language and form they relate to best. We believe it’s an injustice when people don’t hear this message clearly, and we work to right that injustice.

Previously referred to as “distinctives”, our “core values” are the things we do that we simply don’t have to think about —we just do them; they’re in our DNA. The one distinctive I loved most was “service to all”. We now refer to it as “partnership and service.” This flowed genuinely from the heart of our founder, William Cameron Townsend. As Christ entered into the lives of those he encountered, Townsend believed in serving not just those with power and influence, but also those who lived on the margins of society. These acts of service motivated by love became a part of who we were (and still are) as an organization.We are committed to entering into the lives of communities around the world believing that unless people see the Scriptures translated by our lives, they will not be attracted to the living Word, Jesus. As we translate Scripture, communities should see our lives as the first translation of love. Paul says it so well, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” (‭Philippians‬ ‭2:3-8‬ ‭NLT‬‬) Jesus was the true act of humility and unconditional love. In the New Testament the Greek word for “humility” is used suggesting meekness of spirit and an outward expression of meeting people where they are, not where we wish they would be.No story better illustrates this kind of love than one told about Townsend’s encounter with Juan. Juan was an older member of the Secoya community from the jungles of Ecuador. White skin, blue eyes and nearly blind, he was marginalized within a community that was already remote and marginalized in Ecuador. He was not attractive. A portion of his nose had been eaten away by disease. As an act of compassion, someone had flown him to Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, for medical treatment. At 9,000 feet above sea level it is cold, even though it’s right on the Equator. Juan was customarily barefoot for the jungle climate, but not for long. Townsend happened to be visiting Ecuador, and when he saw Juan’s shoeless feet, he found a pair of loose-fitting slippers somewhere. Here he is on his hands and knees putting the slippers on Juan’s feet. This visual image of Townsend serving the needs of this elderly man is still indelible in the minds of many in Wycliffe. If not this image and story, then one of many others because of multiple loving acts of Townsend that impressed so many in those early days of Wycliffe.Our commitment to serving others continues. Our path and journey leads to Christ who was and is the ultimate example of entering into the lives of needy people. May we be faithful pilgrims on the path he places us, ever willing to travel to serve others, always in route to some new mission and always open to move and change to meet the needs of others. I’d love to hear your perspectives and examples of service to all. Please feel free to write me at bob_creson@wycliffe.org.Bob

Betty, seated with children, listens to the translators reviewing Galatians

Something new was happening in Betty Agotre’s village in Uganda. The book of Galatians had been translated into her Aringa language, and the translators had come to check its accuracy and readability. Betty came just to observe. But when they read verse six of the first chapter, she just had to speak up. “Would you please read that again?”

They read the Apostle Paul’s words again: “I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all…” (Galatians 1:6-7a, NLT).

Betty, seated with children, listens to the translators reviewing Galatians

She spoke up again when they reached the first verses of the third chapter.“Would you read those verses again?”

“Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross….How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?” (Galatians 3:1, 3, NLT).

The message in her Aringa language was very clear. Betty knew she’d been under attack from evil spirits for four years, and she had been hearing voices that were not from God. Now she heard God speak through these translated words.

She later testified, “I am the person this book of Galatians is talking about.” She said, “After reading this book, I have started to gain stability to reunite with people, and the book has encouraged me. I am delivered from the power of these demons. I used to be alone, all by myself, but now I will be among the people in fellowship with Christ.”
Since that morning, Galatians has been completed and published as part of a complete New Testament. Old Testament translation is now underway under the auspices of Here is Life, a Ugandan organization, with the technical support of Wycliffe’s partner, SIL.

Betty’s life was changed when God spoke to her in her own heart language. He freed her from the evil forces and reunited her with his people, where she would find strength to keep trusting in him. There is power in the translated Word of God.

If ever there was a precocious young boy among the Au people of Papua New Guinea, it was Canisius! Hyperactive and curious, he found much to interest him at the home of Dave and Jackie Scorza, Wycliffe translators who came to live in his community in 1968. This zest for living was part of what eventually made him a skilled Bible translator, dynamic pastor, and leader in church planting.

But his childhood years were made difficult by a father prone to rage and violence. He lived in constant fear of his father’s wrath. His parents died when he was a teenager, and his closeness to Dave and Jackie grew. Years later, he would tell them, “God showed me that you were like a bright star shining into our darkness. You brought us God’s Talk. If you hadn’t come, we would never have known Jesus.”

After the dedication of the Au New Testament in 1983, Dave and Jackie moved away. Several years later, Canisius went with several other pastors on an evangelization trip to the coast. On their return trip, they took public transportation partway and then set out on a two-day hike home. Darkness fell as they reached the top of a mountain, and a severe thunderstorm blew in. Each man ran in a different direction to find shelter.

Canisiun ran under the eaves of a small Catholic Church. Looking in, he saw a long communion table covered with a cloth rug. “That would make a perfect bed for the night,” he thought. He quickly climbed through the window and lay down on the table to sleep, using the communion rug as a blanket.

In the middle of the night, Canisius heard someone call his name! He sat up, startled and afraid. He whispered, “Who’s there?” There was only silence, so he covered himself again and went back to sleep. A while later he heard his name again. He sat up and called again, “Who’s there?” Still no one answered. Convinced he was having nightmares, he lay down again. As he drifted off to sleep for the third time, he heard a deep, persistent voice say, “Canisius, you need to return to your village! You have unfinished work to do there.”

The next morning, he and his companions hurried to his village. To their surprise, they found Dave and Jackie there. They’d come for a visit to encourage the Au pastors and share some basic counseling skills with them.

Canisius and the others joined the counseling class just as Jackie was explaining how the sins of a father can carry down to the next generation. One of those sins was the spirit of anger and rage. Canisius listened for a while and then slowly put his book down and shook his head. “I used to hate my father,” he said. “And I feared his wrath. I swore that I would never be like him! Now I realize for the first time that I, too, have a lot of rage that reveals itself when I feel cheated or disrespected by others.” He told the class about times when he’d yelled at a bus driver, once even throwing stones. His eyes welled with tears when he told how harshly he’d treated his own young sons in the past.

At Jackie’s suggestion, Canisius wrote a letter to his father, forgiving him for past hurts and asking for forgiveness for his own actions. They burned the letter, put the ashes in a box, and buried it as a symbol of releasing the sins of the past. He also asked his sons for forgiveness.

The voice on the mountaintop was right. Canisius did have unfinished work to do. When he forgave his father’s anger and asked forgiveness for his own anger, he broke the chain. The sins of his father no longer controlled him. Peace settled into his heart and into the family home. Though he occasionally struggled with anger, he knew how to deal with it. He and his sons grew in respect for each other, openly sharing their family life and ministry experiences. Forgiveness and grace had changed their lives, and they continued to spread the Good News of God’s grace to others within the Au communities and beyond.

We, along with our partners, are committed to clear, accurate and natural Bible translation. Another way of saying this is that we are committed to biblically accurate and culturally relevant translation ensuring that language communities get God’s love letter as he intended it for them.

Mark and Patti Bean know this. They’ve been working in the highlands of Peru to help six related language communities complete the whole Bible—six Bibles in six languages!

They recently completed a workshop to begin checking the proofs prepared for publication in each language. Each of the languages found small edits and corrections to make here and there. Every day these reviewers would meet with Mark to inform him of their tweaks and edits. Pictured here are Yepo and Sumer. The Beans report that it was encouraging to hear them voice amazement using a Quechua equivalent of “awesome!” as they read.

But the reader for one of the languages caught a major change! Instead of Jesus saying “It would be better to have one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,” one error, just one letter in one word, had Jesus saying “It would be better to be a buzzard than to have two eyes…!” What should have been wiskulaccidentally said wiskur.

Accurate translation takes time. If anyone tells you this can be done in two weeks, don’t believe it.Accurate translation of God’s words in his Book ensures these communities that they can claim its promises. His words cause us to prosper and succeed (Joshua 1:8 NLT). They bring life and healing (Proverbs 4:20-22 NLT), insight for living, and are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold…sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb (Psalms‬ 19‬:8, 10‬ NLT). They give understanding, are a lamp to guide our feet and a light for our path. (Psalms‬ 119‬:103-105‬ NLT)

As translation nears completion for these Quechua language communities, they are experiencing what Jeremiah did—the Word of God burning in their hearts like a fire. Like a fire in their bones! It will wear them out trying to hold it in and they won’t be able to do it (Jeremiah‬ 20:9‬ NLT‬‬). It will be awesome!

]]>https://bobcreson.com/2018/01/17/one-letter-makes-a-big-difference/feed/1BobOne LetterIs there anything we can learn from hurricanes, storms and floods?https://bobcreson.com/2017/09/14/is-there-anything-we-can-learn-from-hurricanes-storms-and-floods/
https://bobcreson.com/2017/09/14/is-there-anything-we-can-learn-from-hurricanes-storms-and-floods/#commentsThu, 14 Sep 2017 19:29:24 +0000http://bobcreson.com/?p=1130Continue reading →]]>It seems to happened every time there’s a natural disaster–hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes–and it will happen again. Well meaning people attribute them to God’s punishment or judgment. But is there another way to look at them?David Brooks offers an alternative perspective in his opt-ed in the Times.* While I am not endorsing his storyline, I am endorsing his conclusion which should stimulate us to a more thoughtful response. Quoting extensively Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Brooks says that leadership means taking responsibility for those around us and then tries to make a difference in people’s lives, “even if people are too wicked to actually listen. Moral integrity demands positive action…”

Rather than sittting around trying to figure out why (there may be a time for that), leadership recognizes that we don’t need permission to rebuild the world. Quoting Sacks, Brooks writes, “One of the strangest features of biblical Hebrew is that — despite the fact that the Torah contains 613 commands — there is no word for ‘obey.’ Instead the verb the Torah uses is shema/lishmoa, ‘to listen, hear, attend, understand, internalize, respond.’ ”

Brooks writes, “The answer is the ‘hearken’ mentality that Sacks describes. To hearken is to be faithful but also responsible…” Brooks rightfully concludes, “Floods are invitations to recreate the world.”

Following Irma, sitting on my lanai this morning watching the sunrise and waiting patiently for things (like a restoration of power!) to return to a new normal it’s impossible to miss this–dawn brings a fresh invitation at restoration–building within God’s Kingdom to make a difference in the world, not judge it. Being a “faithful presence,” as James Hunter would say. Love is the language God speaks and is the language we must learn.

Phillip Yancey says, “I doubt God keeps track of how many arguments we win; God may indeed keep track of how well we love.” Yancey says, “When I ask, ‘Tell me the first word that comes to your mind when I say Christian,’ not one time has someone suggested the word love. Yet without question that is the proper biblical answer. Jesus said, “Love your neighbor, love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you.”

We are a people living in a world of brokenness, violence, natural disasters, and ruptured relationships — but the Gospel is truly good news, and while judgment is a part of what the Bible teaches, so is justification–the extension of grace upon grace and the opportunity for renewal.

*I “borrowed” the title of this post from David Brooks’ post.

]]>https://bobcreson.com/2017/09/14/is-there-anything-we-can-learn-from-hurricanes-storms-and-floods/feed/1BobI’ve Already Memorized Ithttps://bobcreson.com/2017/08/01/ive-already-memorized-it/
https://bobcreson.com/2017/08/01/ive-already-memorized-it/#commentsTue, 01 Aug 2017 20:02:39 +0000http://bobcreson.com/?p=1111Continue reading →]]>Jean,* an SIL worker in Asia, was traveling in an area where a certain minority language was spoken. She was part of the team translating the Scriptures for this people group, and she longed to see some evidence that God was working in their hearts.

She was invited to a family’s home for lunch. After the meal, the host began to ask her a lot of questions about her faith. “Do you have a Bible in my language?” he asked her. “I want to read it.”

Jean replied, “I don’t have a printed copy with me, but I have one on my phone.” He said he would need to find a phone and meet her later. That evening he showed up at the home where she was staying, carrying a phone. The area had no internet reception, and though Jean could transfer Scripture via a memory card to his phone, the phone was very old and they could not get the Bible app working.

Unwilling to give up, the man asked, “Can I just hand copy it from your phone?” “Of course,” said Jean. He grabbed paper and pen and started copying. He copied much of the first chapter of John before leaving.

The next night he came back! “I’ve already memorized what I copied,” he said. “Could I copy more?” He spent the next few hours copying more of John’s Gospel by hand.

Jean left the language area a few days later, joyful that her new friend was hiding the Good News about Jesus in his heart. “Thank you, Lord,” she prayed. “Thank you for showing me that people you have called me to serve are hungry for your Word!”

Jean’s new friend reminds me of the Prophet Jeremiah, who said, “When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight” (Jeremiah 15:16, NLT). How thankful I am that those words are available to you and me, too. If it’s been a while since you’ve feasted on the Scriptures, I’d challenge you to rediscover God’s words and let them fill your heart with new joy and hope.